


The Devil's Gonna Set Me Free

by LittleTiger



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Anxiety Disorder, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Tried, Implied/Referenced Torture, May add Losers Club members, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible sex?, Psychological Torture, Slow Burn, Torture, Warnings May Change, i don't know where i'm going with this, there will be humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-01-15 19:34:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12327423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTiger/pseuds/LittleTiger
Summary: Lane used to live in Derry, and now she's back much to her chagrin. Something from her past is haunting her, or many things. I started this on a whim. I'm just a clownfucker apparently, haha. I'll see where this goes. Not much to explain it since I just have scenes in mind that I want to make a story around.





	1. We punish ourselves

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Violence & implied/referenced torture this chapter
> 
> So, I hope you stick out this as I see where it goes. Haha. I hope you don't totally hate it. If you're even giving this a chance, thank you.

It was just a job, just for the year. Visit her hometown to fill in while her old history teacher was on medical leave, and then get out. It wasn’t supposed to be a reminder of what had incurred so many nightmares and therapy sessions for years. 

“Lane Hoffman?” 

Grey eyes looked up to see an older woman looking to her expectantly and she stood, giving a curt little nod.

“I’m so glad to see you back home, and I’m sure your parents are happy to see you too. We were so worried we wouldn’t be able to fill this position since the school year had already started.”

Lane rubbed the back of her neck and clutched her bag in her hand as she followed her to the empty classroom. She gave a sheepish smile and a curt little nod.

“It’s no problem, the least I could do since he helped me get into Brown in the first place.”

It wasn’t technically a lie, although her mother had begged her to come back and fill the spot and help them out a bit. Her father’s gambling problems had surfaced again and were getting to be a bit problematic and they needed help out of the hole, she’d agree to take an abrupt sabbatical and help out. Lane wasn’t too keen on being back in this town. She knew the nightmares would come back. They’d started when she was about six and hadn’t stopped until a few years after she’d moved out of town to go to college and get out of Derry. Those nightmares that had seemed so real that for years in her childhood, they’d haunted her during the day.

“Ms. Hoffman, this is your room… Is everything alright? You look a bit green.”

Lane looked up and quickly pushed her glasses up her nose with a flush coating her cheeks as she gave a quick nod.

“Yeah, all good. Perfect. Thanks, I’ll just have a look around to get my bearings and to learn the class plan.”

She looked off, not hearing the woman as she sputtered on about something before disappearing. Lane walked into the room and tossed her bag onto the desks. There were notes and papers from where substitutes had filled in the last two weeks while everything was arranged for her to come in and cover.It was mostly busy work and it looked like a lot of the kids hadn’t cared much to do it. She leaned down to turn on the old dinosaur of a computer situated on the desk and put her hands on her hips as she waited. It’d taken a while for the high schools to get computers and it seemed they hadn’t gotten anything newer since she’d left, making her shake her head. 

“Oh Derry, you never change.” Lane muttered, beginning to file papers and open drawers to get everything in its place. She tugged her sweater closer to her person as she continued and gave a small shiver. It was already dropping in temperature. She’d have to do some shopping before long to make sure she had all the necessary clothes. 

Getting a place to rent had been harder than she’d expected it to be, settling for a little one story house off of Jackson Street. Lane pulled a slim laptop out of her bag and frowned when she realized she couldn’t access the internet. She settled for using a storage drive and put all the lesson plans stored on the computer on the drive before packing up and turning off the computer in front of her. 

_“Laney.”_

The woman looked up, a chill running down her spine as she looked around the classroom frantically to find the voice. That familiar voice tickling like a whisper in her ear made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was probably just stressed. Lane dipped her hand in her purse and pulled out a little orange bottle full of tablets, waiting to be taken. She popped it open and took one dry, struggling to swallow it down and make the voice go away.

_“It’s nice to see you again Laney, you’ve gotten so big.”_ The voice crooned making her ready to bolt. 

Her eyes glanced out the window to see the sun setting and she knew she had to get out of this forsaken middle school. A growl ripped through her as she gathered her things and rushed out the door. Lane power walked down the hall to try and not make a scene in case anyone was still in the building. Her blood ran cold as she felt eyes on her and she picked up her pace to try and get to the doors faster. Finally pushing against the door, Lane made no mistake to glance behind her and get in her car as fast as she could. She turned it on and cranked up the radio to drown out that familiar voice as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove straight for her parents’ house. Other people would make the voice stop.

As she drove through the town she saw how much it hadn’t changed besides the occasional automobiles and the phones people used. There was still the old drug store and the public library looked desolate. It was so weird being here. It was so different in Derry. So old, so, stuck in time. It was like it’s own little world. Lane pushed a soft copper strand behind her ear as she parked in front of her old home. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she took a long breath, waiting for the medication to kick in and help her relax even just a bit. Grey eyes cast up to the house, she felt like she was being watched. Lane shook it off as just probably a neighbor seeing an unfamiliar car. She slowly pulled herself out of the vehicle and walked to the door, hand hesitating in front of the door handle for a moment.

She glanced around her parent’s yard and felt a chill again. Quickly tugging her sweater tighter around her, she just pushed through her own anxiety and opened the door, walking in like it hadn’t been a year since she’d actually seen her parents. Like her mother hadn’t begged her to visit the old town. The sounds of a television and cooking in the kitchen helping her relax a bit and worry about another horror to face. Her parents.

“Laney? Sweetheart? Is that you?” 

The woman winced at the nickname, remembering the whisper she’d heard in the school as she walked towards the kitchen, putting her bag down in a chair. Her mother stood at the stove, pushing something around in a pot that smelled better than it looked. She had the same copper hair, but it was clearly maintained a little more chemically than Lane’s, streaks and spots of grey coming from the roots. 

“Hey mom, you know it’s just Lane now.”

The older woman turned to look at her daughter and dimpled at the sight of her. She walked over and enveloped Lane in a hug before she had a chance to refute it.

“So serious, my big serious college professor. Always with your hair up and the pants. You’ll never find a husband looking like that.” Her mother tsk’d at her.

Lane felt her stomach knot up at the words and pushed her glasses up her nose, her face turning a bit red, beginning to match her hairline. 

“Mom, my career is a little more important than getting married. I have a good thing going for me.”

“You know some of your old classmates have already started families.”

Lane resisted a gag and settled for throwing on a fake smile and just nodding. The woman was never happy, even when Lane had boyfriends, it wasn’t enough if he hadn’t proposed or talked about marrying her. And none of them ever compared to Peter who she’d dated in high school and then broke up with to go to college. Peter was doing well for himself and had been married, had two kids already. 

“Why do you wear these hideous coke bottle glasses?”

“They’re reading glasses mom, they help me make sure I’m reading street signs correctly.” Lane snipped before quickly reeling back and realizing she’d probably offended her mother. 

She slid the glasses off her nose and put them in her pocket resolutely as she sat down at what she assumed was still her spot at the table. A man a head taller than her walked into the kitchen, a bit of a beer gut and grey eyes to match her own. His skin tanned from working in the sun for so many years. 

“Well hey there gingersnap.” The man crooned, squeezing her shoulder before walking over to her mother and kissing her cheek.

Lane wrinkled her nose before painting her smile on big for him.

“Hey dad.” 

“Our little pumpkin has decided she’s too good to get married honey.” Her mother jabbed as she began spooning soup into bowls and placing them at the table.

Her father looked to her and Lane made a face. The man made a strained expression before just giving a hearty laugh and taking his seat at the little four top.

“She’s always been our little independent spitfire.” He tried as he took a sip from a murky glass. 

Lane gave him a thankful expression and dinner proceeded with fewer incident. She talked about the textbook guide she was going to be working on during her sabbatical that would follow some of the bloodiest battles in the country. Her mother of course made her change the subject so Lane settled on talking about the great deal on the house she’d found which her mother hopped on, offering to help decorate, to which Lane quickly declined since she wasn’t going to be staying permanently. Her father talked about hoping to get to see her a bit more while she was in town for the year and Lane made noncommittal noises over her soup. That way she appeased her parents somewhat without actually guaranteeing too much than she could give. She decided to keep the therapy talks to herself, her mother had always thought only loons sought help, and were nothing but trouble.

Her father and her retired into the living room, some program playing about antiques as her mother cleaned up the kitchen.

“I’m not going to become a housewife like Mom.” Lane admitted after a long steady silence lasted between them.

“I’d never ask you to be. You know how your mother is though, she doesn’t like different.”

Lane looked to her father and gave a small sound similar to a laugh as she slid her glasses back on to actually be able to watch the antique show with him. They sat in a comfortable silence again as a man was appraised over a vase he swore had been in his family for at least seven generations and then complain when he couldn’t get more than a four figure sum for it. As the night began to settle in and her mother had joined them, cozied up to her father and occasionally making comments about the “handsome men” on the show that she’d love to pair Lane up with, the woman grew uncomfortable and slowly rose up.

“I think I’m going to head home. First day of school tomorrow and I still need to get my notes all together.”

There was a few noises but for the most part it was clear she was free to go. Lane pulled her sweater around her as she headed out of the room and grabbed her bag, heading out the door. The streetlights were giving the street a glow that made a chill run on her spine, or maybe that was the cold. She wasn’t too sure at this point. She hurried to her car and made her way to her house, letting the radio blast loudly to keep her thoughts at bay. She glanced to the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was only 9:07 in the evening. Lane groaned as she pulled into the little driveway, turning the little car off and debating on how long it would take her to be able to fall asleep.

She wrenched herself from her own mind and got out of the car, heading into the dark house as fast as she could, hands trembling only a bit. Her breaths came out ragged as she ripped her glasses off and tossed them on the little quaint kitchen counter and threw her bags in chairs that waited to be filled. Lane walked to her bedroom and flipped on the light, unbuttoning her shirt and peeling her clothes off, leaving her hair up to avoid it getting wet. The house was cold and empty, silence only interrupted by her breathing and footsteps. Why had she bought a house? She needed a pet or something. Maybe she’d get some fish tomorrow, something. The silence was beginning to creep into her brain when that whisper slipped over her skin like a breeze.

“ _Laney. Don’t you want to play with me anymore?”_

The woman felt the air leave her body as she shut her bedroom door and locked it. Shit… she’d left her phone and glasses in the kitchen. First she’d shower and then get it. She needed to wash off the day if she was going to get any semblance of sleep. Lane turned on the water, moving the towel around and letting out a long breath, relaxing. It was fine. Everything would be fine. She was just imagining things. She was just lonely. Steam began to billow through the room, her pale skin turning pink from the heat. She shuddered thankfully as she stepped into the shower and let it run over her. The hot water lapped at dry skin, enveloping her, mind going blank. The sensation of sharp nails dragging down her back caused Lane to jolt and whip around and suddenly slip, head hitting the corner of the faucet as her back collided with the floor of the tub. Nothing was behind her though. She hissed sharply and rubbed her head, hair now partially sprinkled in water as she laid on the bottom of her tub and staring up at the empty space.

A shaky hand reached up to grab the edge and pull her from her position, sticking with her back against the side of the shower. The rest of the shower seemed to carry without incidence, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt a heavy cold hand holding her lungs as she struggled to hold a shred of logical thought. Lane turned off the water and pulled back the curtain quickly, expecting the worst but it was empty. She was losing her mind. That had to be it. She needed to sleep. That would solve everything, she was just nervous. It was all nerves. She dried her hair off a bit and then dried the rest of herself off, flushed and huffing. Her back and head were killing her after that fall. She should’ve caught herself. Lane decided there was no point in crucifying herself as she walked out into her bedroom and glanced around, flicking on a bedside lamp as she did. 

It had to be this town. She’d managed fine for over ten years away from here. Lane chewed on her lip as she opened her bedroom door and felt eyes on her. She was just being silly, nothing was in her house, nothing was coming for her. The walk to the kitchen felt like it took longer than necessary as she picked up her glasses and phone, clutching the towel close to her. Walking back to her room, the darkness felt like a cold cloak, hiding something from her that would grab her at any moment. She felt like a small scared child again, gulping as she fought to keep from slipping again. Once she felt carpet under her feet again, she relaxed a bit, shutting her bedroom door and plugging in her phone to charge. Lane let her hair loose from its previously sloppy updo and walked to the bathroom, tossing the towel over the rail and looking to the mirror, wiping the steam off of the glass. 

Her eyes glanced down at the dark drain as she turned the water on, skin running a bit cold and heart feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest. Lane pushed the thoughts from her head and went about her normal routine, taking her medicine to help her sleep and brushing her teeth, pulling her hair into a loose braid over her shoulder. It was a simple enough routine, but it helped her nerves as she felt herself slowly calming down. Pulling on a pair of underwear and crawling under the sheets, she felt her shoulders finally begin to relax. The warmth blooming over her as shut her eyes, leaving the lamps in her room on as she let herself fall asleep, mind dozing and running off to a place where nothing could get to her, hopefully.

—

_It was pitch dark, but she could feel the wetness and hear the trickle of the creek under her bare feet. Finally the moon shone above her as the clouds seemed to dissipate, showing a serene scene in front of the woman. She walked forward curiously, trying to recognize where she was. Her eyes looked forward to see a figure bathed in the light and yet no feature was discernible except for a pair of bright yellow orbs for eyes, shining at her._

_“Watch out or gingersnap will snap on us!” A kid’s laughter rung out and suddenly Lane felt a rock hit her head._

_She was a teenager again and other people she’d gone to school with danced around her, laughing and mocking. Rocks thrown at her, her hair pulled. Peter at the center with a mirth in his eyes._

_“I warned you if you left me.” He taunted, laughing at the tears pouring out of her eyes. “You think you’re better than us? Think you’re better than Derry?”_

_One of his friends ripped the dress she was wearing from the back, causing the material to fall off her shoulders and almost come all the way off. She cried out, arms wrapped around herself to keep herself somewhat covered. Their faces covered in shadow so that she couldn’t recognize them. But she could recognize Peter. She’d recognize Peter anywhere. His blonde hair coiffed perfectly back, blue eyes blazing triumphantly as two of his friends grabbed her arms so that her dress sagged. Peter walked up to her._

_“You’re not better than any of us gingersnap. You’re not smarter. Such a stupid little girl.” He laughed, ripping the dress off of her as she struggled to pull loose. “I’ll show you your place in the world. Don’t worry.” He grinned maliciously, causing her body to turn colder than the water beneath all of them._

_His hands grabbed her shoulders before pushing her harshly into the creek, rocks hitting her back, causing her to cry out as she shook her head and tried to back away, sobs racking her body._

_“No, Peter please, I’m sorry. I’m just a stupid little girl. You’re right. You’re always right. You’re so smart and good Peter, come on.” She encouraged him, hoping it would dissuade the boy._

_She felt a knife plunge below her stomach, the steel cold inside her burning hot body, turning everything to black, those bright blue eyes the only thing left as they turned that disgustingly bright yellow and stared into her with a light of amusement._

_—_

Lane jolted up, sweat broken out across her brow as her hand clutched at her stomach, her insides in tight knots. A nightmare, just a nightmare. Peter never would have done that to her, it was just his stupid friends. Her body turned cold at the memory of Peter’s best friend standing over her with the bloody knife. No, Peter hadn’t known. He’d sworn when he visited her in the hospital he’d had nothing to do with it. Her eyes squeezed shut as she curled in on herself, fingers faintly tracing over the scar tissue. The doctors had said she’d be ok, but they were unsure if she’d be able to have children after that. Her mother had insisted everything would be fine. Everything would be fine. That’s what everyone told her. Lane didn’t feel like it’d be fine though.

Light streamed through the window of the early morning. But those yellow eyes… she couldn’t remember where she’d seen them. It didn’t matter, today was her first day at school, again.


	2. Who's gonna save me from myself?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lane's first day at work doesn't go as planned. Then again when do things ever go as planned? Big plans ahead. Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a review, I love feedback and to make sure it's not awful.

“Ms. Hoffman, you can’t go calling kids ‘little fucking assholes,’ no matter how accurate of a description it is.” 

 

Lane sat across from a stern looking grown Peter. His green eyes held a harsh light as the vice principal walked out of the office and shut the door before her. It was only lunchtime and Lane had already lost her shit on a class. Her hair a disarray, and cheeks flushed, a crushed up paper airplane on the desk in front of her. Lane hadn’t known that Peter had taken over his father’s old position already. Once the door clicked shut and the stout woman disappeared, Peter erupted into laughter, shaking his head, mirth filling his eyes.

 

Lane’s cheeks turned even brighter a shade of red as she took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses against the fabric of her blouse. 

 

“Oh wow, that’s hilarious Lane. You really know how to make an impression. And the years have been much kinder to you than anyone else.” Peter laughed, his laughter settling for soft chuckles.

 

Lane slid her glasses on and shook her head embarrassed, looking to him finally. He hadn’t changed much. His hair was darker now, maybe a more sandy blonde now, slicked back to make him look more professional. Wrinkles had begun to form around his eyes. The gangly teen from her youth had put on some muscle and a bit of a gut, ‘dad bod’ was what the kids called it, she believed. 

 

“I do have to punish you though. We need a teacher to work the haunted house, walking through and making sure the kids are doing ok and that people aren’t breaking off from groups.”

 

Peter didn’t sound too hard-pressed but Lane knew it wasn’t up for debate. 

 

“Of course, that’s fair.” She managed to speak up, unsure of what to do or say. She should’ve paid more attention to the names on the emails. To say this was uncomfortable was an understatement, no wonder her mother wanted her to get the job.

 

“So, teaching at Brown, how’s that?” 

 

Lane was a bit surprised at the question, looking at Peter with wide eyes. They hadn’t really talked when she broke up with him, but he’d grown. It would be wrong to assume that he was the same bitter teenager. She smiled a bit and pushed her glasses up her nose, looking down at her feet.

 

“Oh, you know. It’s great. A lot of the department are the people who taught me, so it’s a little weird at times when they come to me with ideas to get their students interested. A lot of these kids actually want to be there. Ivy League was worth it. Sorry, I’m talking too much, how have you been?”

 

Peter watched her with a patient expression, hands folded on his desks and he gave a chuckle when she was suddenly apologizing.

 

“You’re fine. And you know how it is, not much goes on or changes in Derry. My old man was just waiting for the perfect time to make me take over for him. Married Sally and had two kids, you know, what’s expected.” Peter laughed without humor, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

There was a knock on the door, breaking Lane’s train of thought to see who it was, her head turning and missing as the smile on Peter’s face fell away. The older secretary poked her head in, wearing a dour expression.

 

“Mr. Feterson, Johnny’s parents are here.”

 

Peter gave her a bright smile and a nod as he stood up and held out his hand to a slightly flushed Lane. Had she gotten so caught up to forget where they were? She stood as well and took his hand to shake but felt a shock and small thrill rush through her as he pulled her hand close to his mouth and placed a soft kiss across her knuckles. A noise rippled through her ears that she couldn’t place but knew she needed to go. She was looking too much into it, he was being polite. That was the extent of it. Lane recoiled her hand slowly and gave a nod.

 

“Try to keep your composure, Ms. Hoffman.” 

 

Lane flushed and just sputtered something before walking out of the office. The walk to her room was a blur as she thought of Peter. He’d aged well, but he was married. And he called her by her name, not that awful nickname like she was 12. The woman took off her glasses and let down her hair to fix it, letting the copper curls fall down her back with a sigh as paper spitballs hit the ground. Little assholes. She ran her fingers through her hair to clear it out and begin gathering it, feeling a chill against her neck and felt eyes on her. Lane froze and looked to the door warily to see a chestnut-haired little girl with matching eyes looking at her with a look of awe. 

 

“H-hello, aren’t you early for class?” 

 

The girl blushed and looked at her feet, brown curls brushing her cheeks as she looked down, head tilted. Lane smiled and walked forward, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving a little squeeze.

 

“You don’t have to talk about it. If you ever need to eat lunch in here, you’re more than welcome to, I’m Ms. Hoffman.” 

Lane stood in silence before the girl slowly gave a small nod and put her bag on a desk, going and sitting down, pulling out a sandwich and a carton of juice. The woman watched as the girl ate in silence and sat back at her own desk, pulling her hair into a ponytail before wrapping it around her hand and pinning the strands closely to her head.

 

“When is Mr. Richmond coming back?” 

 

Lane looked up at the girl, the question catching her off guard. She sighed slowly and pushed her glasses back onto her face and up her nose.

 

“I don’t know. He’s not doing too good. Hopefully soon though. I’m sure you miss him.” Lane attempted a small smile in the girl's direction who took the last bite of her sandwich and sipped her juice for a moment before deciding to answer.

 

“Not really, he never did anything about the girls who pick on me.”

 

Astrong knot developed in the woman’s stomach as she debated on pushing forward. No, this student needed help. She didn’t even feel safe having lunch with the other kids, there was obviously a problem.

 

“Why do they pick on you? If I may ask, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

 

The little girl smiled at her sadly and it sent a pang into her chest.

 

“Because I’m smaller than everyone, and not as developed as the other girls. Mom says it’ll happen when I’m ready… But I am ready, have I done something wrong? I drink milk and do everything my mom tells me to do.”

 

Lane glanced down at her own less than ample bosom and felt her mouth tighten into a line. She remembered her own mother assuring her the same thing for years before she finally gave up on listening to her. She was tall when she wore heels so she at least had that going for her. The little girl in front of her looked at her with such a hopeful expression, it made her heart squeeze tightly in her chest.

 

“You’re not doing anything wrong. We all grow at different rates. You want to hear a secret?” Lane smiled as the girl nodded at her. “I didn’t hit a b-cup until my sophomore year of high school. I’m actually only a few inches over five foot and wear heels and still have students taller than me.”

 

The girl was giggling at this point and it caused relief to flood through the teacher as she was able to cheer the girl up a bit.

 

“Thanks, Ms. Hoffman. Oh, I forgot to tell you my name. I’m Lane Feterson.”

 

Lane felt all the color drain out of her face. There was no way this was a coincidence, Peter had named one of his kids after her. How had Sally let him get away with that? She quickly fixed her face and smiled at the kid.

 

“Nice to meet you Lane. Do you like history?” 

 

The girl nodded excitedly just as the bell rang for kids to come to class. Lane let the girl sit up front the whole class and felt a bit better as this class actually seemed to give her a bit of a chance besides a group of girls in the back who seemed to titter at about everything. She pushed through the rest of the day with a smile plastered on her face. Pushing her papers into her bag, Lane felt a sigh of relief leave her body as she walked to her car, happy to not have another incident. 

 

She drove to the grocery store in silence, hoping to make a decision about dinner before she got there. Lane walked in distractedly, missing the red balloon floating near the child rides outside as she mumbled to herself. The grocery store hadn’t changed much. A few things moved here and there, but for the most part, just the same. The grocery cart filled with food as her mind drifted off. She looked between a few different boxes of cereal, tapping a pen to her mouth and picked up two when someone bumped into her from behind, causing her glasses to go to the ground, causing a small crack in the corner as she yelped and fell down. She looked up to see who her assailant was and grey eyes found green eyes, causing a flash of fear in Lane as she thought she’d run into Peter but then she saw a mop of brown hair. 

 

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve been paying attention to what was in front of me.” A deep voice caught her off guard as she blinked at him a bit blindly.

 

It wasn’t that Lane was completely useless without her glasses, but it was like there was a slight blur and everything was ever so slightly out of focus that she wasn’t sure where to look or how to digest it. She felt around for her glasses and looked to the floor in frustration.

 

“I-It’s fine, have you seen a pair of glasses?” Her voice was a bit hesitant, a bit of fear still in her belly as she wasn’t sure who she’d run into.

 

There was the sound of plastic move over linoleum and then she felt them pushed into her hand by one bigger than her own. Lane felt relief flood her as she took them and slipped the glasses on her nose before a small frown formed on her face as she noticed the crack. No, she should’ve been more aware of other people. As her eyes were able to focus she took in the figure standing over her. His eyes were blue, how had she thought she’d seen green? Her mind reeled in a tight circle trying to dissect the mistake and he looked, younger. Younger than her even. Maybe his mid-20s or so. 

 

In his hair were random strands that looked almost red when the light hit them but she saw mostly a deep mahogany brown. He was definitely very good looking and a total stranger. He must’ve been new to Derry, or she’d just never seen him before, but she felt as if she would’ve recognized that kind of face. He was intimidatingly attractive, those bright blue eyes glimmering like glowing orbs. His hand extended to her with an unsettling smile stretched across his face that seemed to cause his bottom lip to dip down and show his teeth.

 

“Forgive me, ma’am, I, uh- should’ve noticed you.” His speech slow as he seemed to think on each word he chose before saying it. 

 

Lane tentatively took his large hand and let him help her up, her cheeks burning as she realized he was probably a foot taller than her. She felt her stomach knot, feeling a little fear bubble there in her belly as his eyes never seemed to turn from her.

 

“I-It’s fine, really. I was in my own little world. Really, um…” she stuttered off, unsure what to say as he just made all the words in her mind dissipate as she tried to pull them together. 

 

His head seemed to tilt ever so slightly to the side that it seemed uncomfortable.

 

“What’s your name?” 

 

She blinked at him owlishly as if not having heard his question. The words floated into her mind finally and the woman realized she was still holding his hand. It seemed to almost dwarf her own and it was so warm. 

 

“Lane, Lane Hoffman. You can call me Lane. And yours?” That was the correct way to do this right? 

 

This whole interaction seemed so strange. She had never really interacted with people in a grocery store, usually of their own volition, then again usually she was trying to avoid others as well. Her eyes caught his staring at her more than towards her. It was like he was staring at a painting instead of a person. His eyes seeming to suddenly shift when he realized she’d asked him a question. 

 

“Robert… Gray.”

 

Her nose wrinkled and her head jerked back a bit. That was a weird last name. A color? She couldn’t judge him too much, that would be rude. She adjusted her glasses awkwardly, blushing as she looked down at the floor. A weird mix of emotions roiling in her stomach as she tried to get herself together. She took in the brown pinstripe vest and pants that matched. How was he not cold? The white shirt underneath couldn’t be that warm. Her brow furrowed as her attention was suddenly pulled to her hair as she felt him taking a curl into his hand. When had the pins come loose? 

“Your hair, it’s like… copper waterfalls.” He seemed to struggle on how to describe it before settling on something she assumed was meant to be a compliment. 

 

His touch made her shudder and wince. The man’s head tilted as he seemed to focus back on her slightly fearful expression.

 

“I’m sorry, are you uncomfortable?”

 

Lane felt her cheeks burning and the color going up to her hairline as she wasn’t sure how to answer him. She heard him sniff, or she assumed it was a sniff and a content expression cross his face, causing a weird feeling to coil in her stomach. Was this guy some sort of weird murderer? _Just play it cool._

 

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him a bit bashfully.

 

“You’re fine, just caught me off guard is all. I, um, must really get back to my grocery shopping though. It was very nice to meet you, Robert?” Her statement turning into a question at the end as she wasn’t sure what he wanted to be called.

 

“Of course _Laney,_ I completely understand. I’ll see you around.” His voice almost seemed to purr as his hand slid out of her hair slowly, sending a shock of fear and something else down her spine.

 

The sound of him calling her that made something turn on in her brain but she couldn’t identify why it sounded so familiar. 

 

Lane used that as her chance to leave and get rung up as quick as possible. It was about to start raining from the looks of things and she had left her umbrella at home. She felt as if his eyes were still on her but couldn’t see Robert anymore. Or at least the man who called himself Robert.

 

The woman hurried out of the grocery store and shoved her things into the back hatch of her car as clouds thundered over her, booming with the threat of drenching her at any moment. Lane shoved her glasses up her nose as she pushed the cart off into a little cluster of other ones and got into the car, ready to get away from the store and get home. The drive was quiet for the most part, the begging pitter-patter of little flecks of water making her want to drive faster. She pulled into her driveway swiftly, noticing how empty the street was. It was only about five in the evening, maybe there was some curfew she didn’t know about. It was hard to tell when you didn’t pay attention to the news and didn’t read the paper.

 

As Lane stepped up to the back door to open the hatch she heard a distressed mewl and a loud croak from behind her. She whipped around to see in the flower bed in front of her front window was a small cat and a rather large toad. Almost abnormally large. Her blood ran cold as the thing croaked and seemed to look at the kitten blankly and yet loom over it. A golden eye seemed to glance up at her, causing a small squeak to slip out of her throat and she gave a small jump. This was weird and uncomfortable, but she couldn’t leave that kitten to be bullied by a toad which rubbed her wrong since they weren’t carnivorous. It croaked loudly, slapping its tongue out in the air almost menacingly. She was being intimidated by a toad… Lane decided to bite back the feeling of fear and revulsion and stomped forward to try and scare it only managing to surprise the kitten instead who looked up at her startled. Her cheeks flushed as she leaned over, watching the toad as she picked up the ball of white and brown fur. The little cat seemed to protest for a moment before deciding it was safer in her hands.

 

Lane held the animal close to her as she rushed to her car, launching the door up with a loud croak and grabbed all the bags onto her free arm, happy she’d only had to shop for herself now and rushed to her door after slamming it closed. Her hand struggled to keep the bags on her arm and slip in her pocket to pull out her keys as she struggled to unlock the door and keep the kitten close to her as the rain picked up. The toad had spent the time hopping closer to the side door and croaked menacingly up at her again causing Lane to jerk as she finally got the door open, practically tossing herself through the door and slamming it shut, locking it behind her. Her body sagged as she stared down at the kitten who looked back up at her with a questioning look and big blue eyes.

 

“…guess I have a cat now.” The small kitten took that moment to lurch out of the crook of her arm and splayed across her floor before trotting off as if she owned the place. 

 

The redhead tossed her head back and sighed, letting it hit the door as she did and clutching her groceries for a few moments before deciding to put the bags on her kitchen table and begin putting the groceries away. Fuck, she’d forgotten to grab the cereal. Suddenly she saw blue eyes in her mind and she shuddered. _Copper waterfalls._ The mental image made her cringe as all she could see was blood pouring down over a cold surface as if splashing off stone to paint the walls of some cave. She shuddered again as she put the almond milk away before pausing and glancing to where she heard the kitten bounding onto the couch in the living room. Lane let out a long sigh and quickly grabbed a saucer from a box on her counter and placed it on the ground, pouring a bit of the stuff in there. She remembered reading once that cats get to be lactose intolerant and she wasn’t sure how old this one was. She and the cat would get along then just fine. She’d have to go back to the store to get cat food tomorrow. The thought made her pull her phone out of her bag to google what she could feed the cat for tonight, or more of what she couldn’t feed it.

 

“Fish it is…” Lane sighed as she pulled out a pack of salmon and a box of instant rice from the pile of groceries left on the table. 

 

As the rain poured and the night darkened, Lane began thinking of names for the little vagrant who’d joined her home. The kitten enjoyed the milk and had taken to rubbing against her feet while she was cooking in the kitchen and she could smell her dinner. The cat seemed to have a lot of white but her tail and paws were brown, along with her ears and most of her face so she was most likely a rag doll, but she couldn’t have been older than maybe six months. She was about the size of Lane’s forearm but had a decently long coat and eyes as blue as the afternoon sky.

 

“Ballora?” The cat mewed up at Lane as she mused the name allowed, seeming to cement the name.

 

The cat had bounced on her toes and mewed, reminding Lane of a little ballerina, making the name come to mind and it stuck. She took a small plate and placed half of the fish on it, cutting it up into more chewable pieces for the little feline as she made her own plate, putting her piece over a bed of rice. She took a seat in her living room and picked at her food before realizing she’d forgotten a drink. Lane frowned as she put her plate on the side table so that Ballora couldn’t get to it and headed to the kitchen, pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge and squinting out the kitchen window for a moment before shaking off her bad feeling and heading back into the living room, taking her seat back and flipping the television on. Her nose wrinkled as it was some old children’s program rerun and it made her shudder as she quickly changed the channel to a show about random couples picking out a new home. How original.

 

After finishing her dinner and cleaning up, Lane spent the rest of the evening laying down store ads on the bathroom floor until she could buy a litter box and some litter for Ballora and making a list of what she’d need in general. She used her laptop to check what brands would be best and what to avoid and what a cat needs to be happy. Her mind reeled as she digested that it wasn’t going to be a cheap endeavor but as the cat curled up on the opposite pillow and fell asleep, she couldn’t find it in herself to put the feline back out. She let out a small yawn and ran a hand through her hair as she let it loose and headed for the bathroom. She took her time in the shower, washing her hair and letting the water warm her up. At least at this rate, she might be able to get a restful night and the stuff was just first few day jitters. Yeah, it’d get better from here. What was the worst that could happen?


	3. You've Left Me Paralyzed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhh, quick TW of some graphic violence, it's pretty short but still there. This chapter moves a little fast so I hope it's ok. I feel it's a little short but I thought the last line was just right, plus I wanted to delay some stuff to the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please read and review, let me know if you like it. I hope you like it, I love writing it.

The rest of the week seemed to pass without much incident. Buying for Ballora had been an adventure in and of itself as Lane had also ended up running her to the vet to get her checked for any and everything that she could possibly have. The cat was clean but apparently a bit of a runt of the litter and would only grow a bit more, and had indeed been a girl at least, so that was good that she wouldn’t have to change her name since the cat had already taken to Ballora so well. Finding a good food had made cause for going to the actual pet store and having to place a special order but most of the cat beds and toys had luckily been on sale with Halloween themed items. Lane was content with that much, even though the cat was more prone to sleeping in the bed with her than its own bed.

 

School seemed to fall into a rhythm at least, students acting as they wanted to, but occasionally a teacher from another room would step in to give her a bit of assistance if it truly got out of hand. Little Lane or L as she’d taken to calling the girl when it was just them to make it less awkward for herself had taken to having lunch in her room and Lane would have hers as well, the two building a bond, keeping the fact that she’d dated the girl’s father in high school to herself for the benefit of fewer questions. The girl was looking forward to working in her grade’s haunted house and they talked of the other grade’s contributions to raise funds for the school. Lane was beginning to feel the pressure closer towards the end of the week, hoping it wouldn’t go to total shit. There was a lot riding on making sure it went well. Lane needed the other teachers to at least put up with her and coming into the break room to silence just about every time and stares lent only to make her more uneasy and anxious. 

 

When the night finally came, Lane chickened out and just threw on a black dress and bought a pointy hat, leaving her hair down and making her makeup a little darker and sharper than usual. As soon as she put her glasses over her eyes she felt a sigh mount in her body and she felt like a lot of the effort had gone to waste. The woman pushed herself out the door, throwing on a jacket with a deep shiver at the cold that hit her, Ballora meowing at her as she locked the door with a mini-apology. Hopefully, the cat would forgive her for going out for the night, but she didn’t have much of a choice or say in things. The drive to the school seemed to take much longer than usual, but avoiding the children to make sure they were not hit as apparently, children went out in droves on Saturday nights, or they were trick or treating because Halloween was on a school night, she wasn’t sure which it was. 

 

Once at the school, parking seemed impossible and she ended up in a back corner, wishing she’d worn ballet flats instead of boots as she walked towards the gymnasium. It was beginning to rain again and she rushed inside to make sure she didn’t get soaked. This rain was getting out of hand at this point. It’d rained every night and didn’t seem to be stopping soon. She made her way inside and gave a small start as a bundle of children in masks, some of the sixth graders rushed at her to try and ask her if she wanted to buy some brownies before realizing she was a teacher and backing off with defeated sighs. Lane felt her stomach clench and she gave the kids a ten and took the five brownies and shoved them in her bag, declining the bonus brownie, saying she’d be fine. The kids were appeased and cooed at her happily as she just nodded and gave a small laugh.AsLane walked down the hallway to the gym she saw Peter talking to some other teachers and his secretary before turning and his eyes widening as he saw her.

 

“Laney, you look amazing.” 

 

She actually almost believed him, cheeks flushing as she walked up to the doors and glanced in to the dimly lit area that was the “haunted house,” it was more of a maze with rooms and kids in costumes and some things that made Lane question how they afforded this venture but decided not to ask any questions. Her eyes turned back to him and she felt his eyes on parts of her he shouldn’t have been looking at for a married man, causing her body to contort away from him.

 

“I, uh, should probably go ahead and go in.” 

 

He seemed to frown and she felt a flit of fear push through her belly as she pushed into the gym and picked up a flashlight and walkie-talkie from the teacher who’d been on shift during most setup and preparation. 

 

“Thanks.” Lane quickly muttered as she nodded and began her shift, helping people who got lost and making sure the kids had water or hadn’t been hurt by patrons. It became a nice little routine. Everyone truly seemed to be enjoying themselves and everything was fine. As Lane was coming towards the entrance of the little maze, she noticed something seemed off. She felt her gut clench as she rushed through. She pushed ahead of a group and slipped through a few side doors and found Lane pressed against a wall, tears rolling down her face. In front of her stood an ominous fever in what looked like what was once a pristine white outfit. A red balloon in his hand as he was leaned forward and hand extended. His hair was wild and red like hers but he didn’t seem right, no something didn’t sit in her stomach just right as she stared at the figure in horror, something in her brain clicking on as she recognized him slowly.

 

“ _Go on Laney, take it. I won’t bite.”_ The voice laughed at the young girl.

 

The woman felt herself feel gutted not feeling the walkie-talkie slip out of her hand and hit the floor, attracting the attention of the monster. Blue eyes turned to her and turned to yellow. Fear engulfed adult Lane as she felt trapped in her own child. This was the clown that had haunted her as a child ever since she was six, asking her to come play with him. 

 

“MISS HOFFMAN!” The young Lane screamed at her in fear. 

 

The girl pulled her out of herself and she looked at her, away from the monster glaring at her and looking to the terrified child. She had to do something. Her eyes turned back to the monster and she forced herself to buck up.

 

“Leave her alo-“ before the yell could leave her throat she was thrown against one of the walls as it shook behind her, his hand squeezing her throat so that she couldn’t move. Her glasses hit the floor and she heard the cracks as someone’s foot, probably his stomping down on her glasses as if to just render her more powerless.

 

His face came close to hers with a wide grin as she clawed at the hand around her throat, trying to get some air in her system as the young girl stared in terror. Lane looked to her and blinked away her tears and tried to muster up some bravery.

 

“You gotta run Lane! Run as fast as you can! Get my walkie-talkie and go! I’ve got this! I promise!” 

 

The clown that once had been nothing but a memory looked at her with a frown as if he were dissatisfied with her bravery, a sliver of drool slipping down his lip.

 

“ _You know Laney, I don’t like when you’re so naughty. You should’ve just stayed out of it.”_

 

Lane used this moment to try and use her nails to tear into his gloves and hurt him somehow to keep his attention, her nails only working to pull at the strange fabric. Revulsion filled her as she suddenly felt her dress being pushed up. Her face was a brilliant red and she glanced around to see that the young girl was gone. Good, she didn’t need to see this. The woman choked on a sob as she felt sharp nails graze over her wound as he tsk’d at her, shaking his head.

 

_“Little Laney, always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”_ His voice sing-singed at her as his nails broke the skin and she gasped in pain as it pushed through layers of skin and muscle.

 

Her body was wracked with pain and her mind clouded with fear as he grinned down at her, his drool hitting her cheeks and mixing with her tears. Her hands shakily moved up to squeeze his face in her hands with all the strength she had.

 

“I don’t care. You won’t touch her.” Lane managed to rasp out as shivers of cold and pain began to rack her body. She felt his hand clenching her insides and her mind began to go dark her grasp loosening.

 

Her eyes filled with tears as she saw his expression begin to change. Malice and hunger changed to something unreadable as if he were suddenly unsure. She felt his hand pull out of her body, causing blood to spill out as she coughed up a mouth full of blood, it spattering on his face. Those yellow eyes stared into her bleak grey ones as she felt consciousness slipping from her grasp.

 

_“Laney?”_

“Laney!”

 

His voice had changed as she heard someone else yelling her name as she was suddenly on the cold floor and everything turned black, her heart hammering in her chest and those yellowing eyes staring right through her.

 

—

 

_Beep…beep…beep…_

 

The high pitched beeps echoed in her ears as she felt herself coming to. Lane felt as if her head was filled with cotton as she blinked and found everything was blurry. She reached around and felt things pulling and felt a pain in her lower abdomen, the beeping beginning to pick up as she started to become aware of her surroundings. Golden eyes popped up into her mind and she felt herself sob, clenching the covers and pushing herself not to scream as the memories flooded her brain. That was right. She’d been attacked when she was saving Peter’s daughter. Her head turned from side to side as she took in the hotel room, trying to make sense of everything. She was in a hospital, and her glasses were broken. 

 

“Laney! You’re awake!”

 

Before she had looked she felt arms around her and froze. The scent of lemon and pine flooded her senses and she felt herself relax, it was her mother. She could faintly smell smoke, her father must’ve been in the room as well.

 

“Good to see you awake ginger snap!” He called to her as if she were deaf.

 

Lane winced as her mother forced her to sit back and pushed a glass of water in her hands. It was then she was aware how dry her throat was and that if she’d tried to talk it would’ve probably come out as a croak. Her eyes rested on her lap as it hurt less to try and concentrate on the blank white blankets. She took a good few long sips before realizing she hadn’t been to the bathroom since… how many days had passed?

 

“Mom… what happened? How long have I been out?”

 

She felt her mother tsk and she felt herself bristle, remembering the clown as her mother stroked her hair to try and soothe her as she took up residence on the bed. 

 

“Oh sweetie, you don’t remember a thing, do you? Some drunk had apparently gotten into the school without being seen and attacked you. You’ve been out for three days.” Her mother tutted at her as if it were obvious.

 

Lane went to open her mouth and protest before realizing how crazy she’d sound saying that some oversized clown had attacked her. Her eyes glanced towards her mother as she took in what everyone was saying happened to her. She suddenly remembered little Lane and shuddered to think if that monster had gotten ahold of her.

 

“What about Peter’s daughter? Is she ok?”

 

She felt her mother shift and shake her head, hugging her close.

 

“You’re always so selfless, what a good girl. She’s fine. Not a scratch on her, a little traumatized and tried to tell everyone he was a clown, but her mind is obviously just trying to help her cope with the situation.”

 

Lane kept her mouth shut and bit the inside of her cheek as she stared off, remembering everything before it sunk in she’d been unconscious for three days and she tensed, looking to her dad as best she could, even if she couldn’t really see him clearly.

 

“Hey, I have a cat now. I forgot to mention it, can you go check on her and make sure she has plenty of food each day and water? There’s a spare key on top of the door frame. It’s the side door.” 

 

“Laney! You got a cat! Do you really need a pet when you should be looking for a man? Really now!” 

 

Lane bit down on her tongue to the point she tasted copper and sipped at the glass of water again, gulping it down. She felt her dad pat her leg and could sense him giving her mother a look to drop it.

 

“Of course ginger snap, leave it to me.” His calm voice was reassuring as she was able to relax and suddenly remembered she needed to go to the bathroom. 

 

Her body shifted as she handed her mother the glass and shifted to push blankets off of her. Her father seemed to get the picture and looked to his wife with a small nod of his head. 

 

“Why don’t you go get the doctor honey? Since she’s awake?” Her mother made a noise that would pass for a yes but seemed more like she didn’t like being pushed out of the room. 

 

Her father unclipped her finger from the heart monitor and helped her out of the bed slowly as she felt where there were stitches in her abdomen where her scar usually was. Her hand went over the scar and clenched into a fist as she used her other hand to grip onto the drip connected to her arm that was probably morphine or something to keep most of the pain at bay. 

 

“Just follow me ginger snap and then let me know when you’re done.” His hand rested around her waist to help lead her as best he could as she seemed to just stare at the floor.

 

She could’ve gotten to the bathroom on her own, but these were her parents so she wouldn’t say much against them. Washing her hands turned out to be the most challenging as she struggled to dry her hands and not pull on the needle in her arm too much. As time passed, her brain seemed to clear up more. The doctor came in and informed her she’d need to stay a few more days and they’d have an optometrist come in to check her eyes that she wouldn’t need a new prescription so she’d have a pair of glasses by the time she left. She wasn’t allowed to soak in water for a couple weeks to just not flood the stitches and she’d have to wash them with a saline solution so they wouldn’t get infected. Great. Police were to come speak to her the next day and get her statement. She wasn’t sure what to say since no one would believe her that a monstrous clown had attacked her.

 

Lane was happy when she finally got rest, turning the television on for sound and letting her head rest, the dinner in front of her not interesting her at the moment. She was about to doze off when she heard a knock and opened her eyes and squinted at the figure in the doorway. Tall with dark hair, but not in scrubs or a white jacket. He held up a bouquet of red and shifted before realizing she couldn’t tell who he was or what he was holding.

 

“It’s me, Robert. From the grocery store? Not to be a creep, sorry. I saw what happened to you in the paper and it took a bit of convincing to find out your room and when you were awake. Uh, my condolences. How are you feeling?” 

 

Robert, from that time last week. Her mind registered his voice and she felt herself relax a bit but stayed aware of where exactly he was as she laid back down and let her eyes shut. She heard him sit down next to him and place the flowers in a vase that she hadn’t noticed before, taking out whatever was in them. Some sort of white flowers with splashes of pink. 

 

“They’re poppies.” Those weren’t in season but she wouldn’t ask, it was the thought that counted after all.

 

He really seemed to like red. She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him out of curiosity at this point, noticing he was waiting on her to speak. Oh, he had asked her a question.

 

“I’ve been better. Being attacked and injured in the same spot wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. Definitely not having kids now… sorry, that’s weird. You’re a stranger.”

 

She saw him shift and noticed those blue eyes looking at her with a look of guilt? Lane chalked it up to not being able to see him clearly and shifted to pick up her glass of water, sipping at it awkwardly.

 

“It’s fine. Feel free to talk about whatever is on your mind.”

 

That sounded like her therapist if she’d ever heard it. She gave a harsh little laugh and shook her head as she pushed at the tray with her glass, putting it down. She felt his gaze on her, making her skin flush slightly as she pressed her hands to her cheeks.

 

“I apparently had to have emergency surgery, my mom is now worried about marriage prospects and all I’m worried about is getting home to my cat and getting a new pair of glasses so I can get back to my job.”

 

Silence passed and Lane sensed he was waiting for her to say more so she decided to just open the can of worms that was everything pressing on her brain. The worst he could do was never talk to her again. Part of her kind of enjoyed his presence. She didn’t feel like he was judging her or like he was just listening to her so he could say something back.

 

“I didn’t dream, I just remember his eyes and, darkness. I remember being scared, for myself, for Lane, sorry, that’s the name of the girl I sort of saved. I don’t know, I just didn’t expect what happened I guess. The doctor said the cuts were so clean he was impressed at how little damage was actually done, a few more inches out of line and I probably would’ve bled out before they got to me.” She paused, her hands knit together as she flushed, feeling him looking at her now as all she could partially talk about was what the doctors told her. She remembered hearing her name and nothing else. 

 

“So, who is this girl that you saved? Is she one of your students? Kind of weird she has the same name as you. No offense, I don’t know many Lanes.”

 

The woman’s cheeks flushed at this as she stared down, embarrassed. A hand reached up to run through her hair nervously as the clunky thing on her finger aggravated her and pulled at her to keep her hand down. 

 

“Yeah, she’s in my history class. Her dad, the, uh, the principal I think named her after me. We dated in high school so I may just be full of myself.”

 

“No, that definitely makes sense. So, the child of your ex-boyfriend was in danger and you just saved her?”

 

When he worded it like that, she wasn’t sure what he was really asking. She didn’t want attention, she just didn’t want to see Lane suffer. She didn’t really want to see anyone suffer, she suffered enough on her own every day, she couldn’t bring herself to want others to suffer, no matter what reason someone might have. A hand instinctually clenched at the scars as she stared forward.

 

“His sins are not hers, and besides, sometimes stuff doesn’t work out. He’s happy now, I couldn’t give that to him.” That didn’t make her sound over him at all. She was reminded of that day before graduation at the river and felt a shot of pain, making her wince and lean forward, wanting to rip the stitches out and make the pain stop, make it all stop and go away.

 

“I’m sorry, I obviously hit a sore spot. Please, let us speak of other things.” 

 

Lane looked at her hand to see his over hers. It was so warm and strangely soft. She looked up as the tears streaked her cheeks for the second time that evening, seeing his face so close to hers. She froze, turning red all the way to her hairline. Her lips quivered as her brain tried to register a full thought. He smelled of copper and cinnamon and she wasn’t sure how to digest it. It was like he was the embodiment of red. This close she could see those streaks of copper strands amongst the brown and it was so strange. Her eyes shifted down to his to see his eyes trained on her as she felt a weird feeling swell in her stomach. A mixture of fear and arousal sweeping through her as she struggled to move, frozen in place by his gaze. She felt his hand reach up and wipe away her tears before leaning back into his chair.

 

“So, there’s no Mr. Hoffman?” 

 

Lane felt her face burn even more in surprise as she felt her throat go dry and she gulped down some water to try and find her voice. He was awfully forward, but she appreciated his honesty at least, it was almost refreshing.

 

“Not unless you count my dad so, no, haha. Always been more focused on academics, they make sense and you don’t have to worry about them returning your calls.” Lane laughed awkwardly as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear, staring down at the food in front of her and feeling her stomach growl at her needily. She picked up the roll and tore off a piece, stuffing it in her mouth so she had an excuse not to say more ridiculous things. 

 

She heard his chuckle and felt her body responding in a warm way, feeling as if someone had just lit a hearth that had been untouched for years, fire licking at cold stone to warm it up. She wished she could see his smile more clearly so she could memorize it. 

 

“You’re really cute.” 

 

A killer clown hadn’t done her in, but this man just might. 


End file.
